International hearing protector standardization

Preferred Methods for Measuring Hearing Protector Attenuation

There are numerous well-documented measurement methods available to evaluate hearing protector attenuation, however, some are flawed or difficult to implement and some can and have been misused with the erroneous results fostering misleading conclusions. This paper will examine the three most robust methods including the “gold standard” in hearing protector attenuation measurements, namely real...

Training on hearing protector insertion improves noise attenuation.

PURPOSE To determine the efficacy of hearing protector insertion by comparing attenuation values measured by objective (MIRE) and subjective (REAT) methods in groups with and without training. METHODS The study included 80 male subjects assigned to experimental (with training) and control (without training) groups. The following procedures were performed: occupational history, objective and s...

Alternative field methods for measuring hearing protector performance.

In comparison with the mandatory noise reduction rating (NRR) testing of every hearing protector sold in the United States, real-world tests of hearing protector attenuation are scarce. This study evaluated data from three potential field-test methods as compared with the subject-fit data from Method B of ANSI S12.6-1997 for the E.A.R(R) Express trade mark Pod Plug trade mark. The new field-tes...

Rating of Hearing Protector Performance for Impulse Noise

Concern has often been expressed that the performance of hearing protectors in steady noise may not apply to their performance in impulse noise. Our current.studies, as well as other studies, support the fact that there is a large difference in performance. In all cases, the performance of a protector is much better for impulse noise than for continuous noise. For example, we are obtaining at l...

Preferred test conditions for determining hearing thresholds for standardization. ISO/TC 43/WG 1 Threshold of hearing. International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 43.